What's On
Stay strong to keep walking!
Today more than ever, we are being offered lots of good advice by governments, councils, welfare groups and community organisations. I sometimes find myself saying, “Don’t remind me …”, but let’s face it: as we get older, we should accept and embrace every opportunity to “Live Stronger”.
COTA (Council on the Ageing)’s Living Longer Living Stronger and Strength for Life programs are here to help make that happen. These programs are based on ongoing research to find ways towards a Healthy and Happy Life, whether you are in the family home, or have downsized, in community living, or in retirement or aged care.
COTA does a lot of work behind the scenes to improve the lives of all Australian as we age. Our strength and balance programs provide safe and effective ways for you to stay strong and mobile, and improve your balance - which can certainly help you live a Healthier Happier Life and keep walking.
What makes Living Longer Living Stronger/Strength for Life special?
COTA started exploring the need for an exercise program two decades ago, when COTA Victoria and RMIT consulted with people aged 50-100+ about what they want from an exercise program. They also spoke to health professionals about what would make them feel confident to refer their patients to an exercise program.
What we found from both the community and health professionals was that people want to have an opportunity to meet the exercise instructor to discuss their needs, goals and conditions. They also wanted to be confident that the exercise professional had suitable knowledge about exercise prescription and the likely needs of an older person.
Out of this work, Living Longer Living Stronger (VIC, NSW, TAS) and Strength for Life (ACT, SA, WA) was born. In the program, each new participant has an individual assessment to develop their personal strength and balance program.
Why is this important and what are the benefits?
Progressive strength and balance training is essential as we age, because our muscle mass and bone mass decline unless we actively work to mitigate this.
Sounds very serious… I might just ignore that and continue doing what I enjoy…
It is never too late to start and building strength and muscle can be fun!!
No honestly, it can. The programs are designed to not only provide the physical benefits but also provide social connections – yes, they are fun AND social!
So it’s a win-win for everyone. Once you’ve met with the instructor, you join a group class to work on your program with other people who are on a similar journey to maintain and improve their health and wellbeing, and to live stronger.
Benefit for me = Stay strong to keep moving!
Find out more about the program in your state: